Bans on smokers from jobs prompt concerns about discrimination

January 22, 2009|By Los Angeles Times

Even though the practice of barring smokers from employment is becoming more commonplace, this approach may have unintended consequences that do more harm than good, say researchers in an essay published Wednesday in the journal Tobacco Control.

Dr. Michael Siegel and co-author Brian Houle, of the University of Washington, fear that a widespread adoption of such policies might make smokers nearly unemployable, cause them to lose their health insurance and affect their health and that of their families.

Moreover, they say, refusing to hire smokers is discriminatory and might lead to the adoption of other selective employment practices, such as not hiring people who are overweight or who have high cholesterol levels.